Mobile phone users could get free 0800 calls

Free calls to 0800 numbers could be extended to anyone using a mobile phone under new plans announced by the regulator Ofcom.

Currently, the vast majority of these calls are charged at up to 21p a minute for mobile users.

However, Ofcom wants to make these phone calls free, as they are from landlines.

A consumer watchdog said many callers already assumed these were free for everyone and were shocked when their bill came through.

Adam Scorer of Consumer Focus said it can be a particularly frustrating task if people are kept on hold to a company that is described as freephone when in actual fact it isn’t.

Ofcom said the proposed changes were aimed at helping consumers regain trust in these types of phone numbers.

“By making calls to 0800 numbers free from all phones, we will clear up any uncertainty about making calls, especially from mobiles, to the benefit of consumers and service providers alike,” chief executive of Ofcom Ed Richards added.